Jacob
Cerfaty, Chairman of the Tetuan Jewish Community Council, addressing a meeting
of the Itiqlal Party, which fought for Moroccan independence.

The
meeting was held at the Jewish Club, Tetuan, 1956.

Beth Hatefutsoth, Photo Archives,

Courtesy
of Avraham Zerfaty, Netania

The sixth factor leading to the Jewish exodus
was tensions associated with the establishment of Israel and the movement to
oust the French from Morocco. Nationalist solidarity with Arabs resisting the
establishment of Israel and French incitement of anti-Semitism created
antagonism between Jews and Muslims. Jews felt a sense of alienation when
Nationalists discouraged them from joining the struggle for independence.

In May 1948, Arab armies launched their war
against the new State of Israel. Sultan Mohammed V declared his support for the
Arabs. With the war, Moroccan nationalists found a cause that could unite
Moroccans without giving the appearance that the real enemy was the French
Government, and the ultimate goal Moroccan independence. In response to
anti-Jewish rhetoric, the Sultan warned Muslims not to hurt Moroccan Jews,
reminding them that Jews had always been protected in Morocco and had always
shown their devotion to the Throne. He also warned Moroccan Jews not to support
Zionists.

Tensions associated with the Israeli-Arab War
and illegal Moroccan Jewish emigration to Israel contributed to two pogroms in
the eastern towns of Oujda and Djerrada in June 1948. The pogroms, which were
not well controlled and perhaps instigated by the French authorities, resulted
in 8 deaths, 600 wounded, and 900 homeless in Oujda. In Djerrada, south of Oujda,
there were 39 dead and 44 wounded. When the Pacha of Oujda expressed his
regrets about these incidents and met with each victim's family, he was attacked
violently in Oujda's Grand Mosque. Some analysts suggest that the Israeli Hagana
and Zionist groups may have had a role in provoking the pogroms.(Mohammed Kenbib, Juifs et Musulmans au Maroc, 1859-1948,
Rabat, Universite Mohammed V Faculte des Lettres et des Sciences Humaines, 1994,
p. 683)

Istiqlal, the most
important independence party, did not do enough to encourage Jews to join the
independence movement, although it tried to separate Middle East issues from
those of Morocco. A bomb exploded in a Fez cafe on Yom Kippur eve, because the
nationalists knew that it was the only time when there would be no Jews in the
cafe. In 1944, Istiqlal asked Leon Benzaquen, a famous Jewish doctor who
would later become the first Jewish Minister, to sign the first Independence
Manifesto, but he refused. He is believed to have stayed neutral on the
nationalist struggle, because of conflicts in the Jewish community among
modernists, graduates of AIU, Zionists, and traditionalists. A small minority of
Jews actively supported the nationalists. The Moroccan Communist Party, which
supported the independence struggle, had a large percentage of Jews. Also, a few
Jews in Fez published a proclamation opposing efforts by French to poison
Muslim-Jewish relations. (Abraham Serfaty and Mikhael
Elbaz, L’Insoumis: Juifs, Marocains et rebelles, Desclee de Brouwer,
Paris, 2001, p. 87.)

Even though the nationalists supported the
Palestinian struggle and opposed Moroccan Jewish support for Israel, they
nevertheless sought World Jewish support for Moroccan independence. In 1955,
nationalist leaders from the Istiqlal Party met with the World Jewish
Congress in efforts to seek American support for Moroccan independence. At the
meeting and in public interviews, they stated their intention to guarantee the
liberty of Moroccan Jews and their equality with other citizens as well as the
participation of Jews in representative organizations and in the Government.
Such sentiments appeared to be more for foreign consumption than an expression
of clear intent, however. In fact, Istiqlal intended to drive a wedge
between the Moroccan Jewish community and Israel, which would have a major
impact on the role of Jews in independent Morocco.